Morning coffee in bed - a walk down memory lane

It's Thursday 14th September 2023 and I am back to blogging. Visiting a friend in Munich, I am sitting in her bed with a cup of coffee at 10.21am and the Harry Potter 5 book next to me.

I have to explain why this is such a significant moment. Back in 2017, when I was in the last year of studying for my Bachelors' degree and I had overwhelmed myself with assignments and deadlines, I started a blog. I did it as a fun thing, as a distraction. And it soon became the thing that got me through this period. It got to be the first thing I'd do in the morning: Write in bed with my coffee before bracing myself for another day in the library. It made me feel light; it gave me energy.

The blog was about Harry Potter, by the way. I have been a fan since I can remember and have read the books multiple times and seen the movies in basically all languages I can speak - German, English, Italian, French, and Spanish. Back then, I did a quiz to find out which house I was in and turned out to be a Hufflepuff. For me, that felt like an insult. Gryffindor were the cool ones, the brave ones, the ones obviously favoured in the books. I personally also saw myself as a Ravenclaw a bit, the smart and wise ones. Not sure how much fun they really were though. And Slytherin... at least they have a bit of an edge.

But Hufflepuff?? I thought that was just lame.

I thought that Hufflepuff were like the uncool kids that are also there but they never really have exciting stories to tell... so then I realised that I could be the one to change that. I kind of had to. For myself, to come to terms and make peace with this humiliating selection, but also for the house of Hufflepuff and its reputation. Finally give them a voice and show what life in Hufflepuff was really all about.

Also, keep in mind that I was really busy with assignments for uni. And job applications. So this really was the perfect moment, and very urgent too, to make it right for Hufflepuff.

Soon, the blog "My life in Hufflepuff" was born and as it started on 1st December, I even made it into an advent calendar. Every day, I'd write about what was happening in my life in Hogwarts, and soon people starting talking to me about it. I integrated tons of inside jokes and things that only people like me, who as I said have both read the books and watched the movies multiple times, would understand. At the same time, I connected it to my personal life which soon made even my family confused as to what was really going on and what was my imagination. It didn't matter; what mattered was how much better I felt and how much I loved this writing process.

It's been a long time now since then, nearly six years, and I kept going back to this in my mind and to how much joy it brought me. For a long time now, I have been thinking about writing a book and I am sure that I will, but it's also important to do things in small portions. To break it down. To make it a habit.

I want to make writing more of a habit again because of how much I enjoy it, how much it gives me and how much it can also give the people that read what I write. It can be fun as it was with my Hufflepuff endeavour, but I also remember people telling me about how I inspired them to be more creative themselves and start writing things. So this is my second attempt to have that impact on both myself and others.

Coming back to Hufflepuff, I want to emphasise what I learned through that last blog: How I started seeing their values and what makes this house special. Hufflepuff is a lot about integrity, honesty, and friendship. Hufflepuffs are there for each other and they support each other. They have strong morals and they don't only think about themselves. I believe that this is incredibly important and something that we can all try to incorporate more.

Secondly, Hufflepuffs are very grounded and down-to-earth. We might sometimes lose ourselves in our ambitions, faster better stronger higher, and we lose sight of the moment and just being present. Of enjoying the small things. Like a cup of coffee in bed. My new project "The Life that We Deserve" is all about creating the life of our dreams, while at the same time emphasising that this is not just about what it looks like from the outside, but about what it feels from the inside. About what our every day looks like, rather than just the big milestones.

I personally love my slow mornings in bed and I am aiming towards having many more. I love having time to write and be creative. I love being alone with my thoughts and just staring at a wall. I love coffee. So for me, all these are big components of my dream life. And I am dedicated to having more of them.

If this blog can help me stay accountable and make that happen, amazing. And if it can help you too in some way, even better. I am looking forward to the next posts, hope you have a slow morning and a wonderful day.